Steve Jobs dies aged 56

Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder and former CEO, has died aged 56 just weeks after stepping down as Apple's CEO for health reasons.

The cause of Jobs' death has not been confirmed, but is believed to be related to Jobs' battle with pancreatic cancer.

Jobs' replacement as CEO, Tim Cook, today paid tribute to his predecessor in an email to Apple staff that praised Jobs as 'a visionary and creative genius.'

'Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor,' said Cook. 'Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.'

Many other figureheads of industry and politics have paid tribute to Jobs, with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates saying that it was 'an insanely great honour' to have worked with Jobs. Google CEO Larry Page meanwhile praised Jobs' 'amazing brilliance'.

'Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it,' said US president Barack Obama in a statement.

A commencement speech given by Jobs at Stanford University in 2005 can be viewed below and provides some background on Jobs' history, struggle with cancer and views on death.